There are many industrial process applications in which a system contains a fluid (i.e., a liquid, gas or other substance, for example, a gel) that is monitored by a sensor mechanism through a sensor port in the apparatus. The sensor mechanism may monitor various variables relating to the fluid, such as for example the temperature, pressure or flow speed of the fluid. If at any time the sensor port becomes obstructed by, for example, debris in the fluid, this may influence sensor mechanism inputs, resulting in the sensor mechanism providing erroneous measurements. In many applications, accurate, reliable measurements may be critical to the safety and/or operation of the process. Therefore, it may be desirable to be able to detect an obstructed sensor port. In some applications, it may also be desirable to be able to automatically clear such an obstruction.